Castanets

Texas Rose, the Thaw, and the Beasts

(Asthmatic Kitty)

Record Review by Amber Henson

I always find it interesting to learn how music fits into people’s everyday lives. Especially their working life.  For instance, my favorite novel is The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.  In an interview, the author was asked whether she listened to music as she wrote, since there are a lot of musical references in the book.  She answered yes, but that she could only listen to music she knew already, nothing new or it would distract her.  After having a similar conversation with a coworker just last week with the same answer, I started to think about the subject.

Texas Rose,TheThaw & The Beasts is a great album to have on in the background while working, even if the listener isn’t totally familiar with it. Something about these tracks contain as much silence as music, although there’s never a moment’s quiet.  While listening to this album, I don’t see myself laughing in the middle of the party, but rather at a canvas painting something inspiring, despite the fact that I don’t paint.  Raymond Raposa’s voice is very sure, clear, and easy to listen to, to tune out to, in a good way.  There are few other instruments or voices on the album, but the acoustic guitars and simple drums all add up to something far less than I would have expected, again in a good way.

My favorite song, both in music (with a lovely lingering trumpet) and lyric, is “Down the Line, Love”.  It reminds me of a Johnny Cash song.  In it, the singer tells his love to keep on going down the line to find a new man because he’s simply not good enough for her.  He’s not sad about it, just matter-of-fact about it, an emotion I feel is not explored enough in music, at least popular music.

If you’re looking for a slow, stimulating album, mosey on down to, well, wherever it is one can purchase CDs at now, and maybe pick up some paint brushes, too.